Swift River the first of formal inquiries

@Belun first, please. <3

Night gathers, and now my watch begins.

Fenru Tainn

It shall not end until my death.

March 2nd; Just outside SR borders; After sunset; Cloudy; 11° F/-12º C

It seemed to have taken ages but within a matter of an hour or so since Fenru Tainn had asked newfound companion to trust him, the duo reached the cold, frosted banks of the Swift River. The edge of the young Tainn's home. The yearling held his head up high as he thoroughly scanned the dark forest of the other side, scouring the shadows for any sense of movement. A stag, purged of its antlers, shot up from behind a thicket of shrubs and immediately darted away into the distance with a flash of its white tail. Fenru sniffed, the hours old scent of Ice Aesir and his mother easily reaching him from across the stream among many other distinct scents.

Giving Belun one more heartening smile, he gazed straight ahead into the depths of his family's territory then tilted back his head to release a summoning song. @Ice, it smoothly beckoned, his deep mature voice surprisingly transformed into notes that belonged on a tenor scale. Mum… @Corinna… Hopefully they weren't far, and if they were, well, Fen could only hope that at least someone would come running. I require your presence.

His request might have sounded a bit too formal, but the very day he departed from the mountain in the east, he had vowed to himself to behave as he ought to. He was Corinna's son, an apprentice and trainee of the fiercest Guard in all of Relic Lore's Heart-lands, a yearling and soon-to-be adult member of Swift River's ranks… All his life he had been afraid and meek, often too submissive and shy for a wolf that bore the surname of Tainn. No. Fenru Tainn was now a self-proclaimed scout, steward, and keeper, and he would aptly solicit his superior's attendance and grace.

When he finally leveled his muzzle, his ears swiveled forward and one of his muddied paws lifted in anticipation. He swallowed audibly as the tip of his tail curled and fell behind him. This was not a silly request coming from the bashful prince of the River and his playmate, but a serious petition in which Fenru Tainn, Keeper of his pack, had found a potential recruit worthy of his Leaders' time and breath.

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2013, 10:58 PM by Fenru.)

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After trekking for what seemed like forever, they had apparently reached their destination, telling from Fenru slowing down and stopping beside a chilled river. The water looked to have risen beyond its capacity, spilling over a number of daring reeds and grasses that had probably once kissed the river's edge. A smell from a long-deceased fish floated over from somewhere, but Belun couldn't place where it was coming from. A stag leaped away from them as it spotted them, the hoofstep sounds flattened by the gentle rumble of the water. Fenru smiled at him with grace, and Belun gave him an apprehensive look. Were they going to have to cross the stream? As much as he enjoyed water games in warmer seasons, the clarity of the water alone told him that it was much too cold for a good splashing contest. One of his ears tilted to the side and a gentle frown came to his lips.

Ice, he called, and Corinna, he sang. The boy had a pleasant song, despite the formal tone of his message. Belun was a little jealous of that, since his howling had never been very nice to listen to. He suspected it might have been an issue with his native language, as no one in his family had particularly pleasant voices when they raised their heads high.

The boy swallowed loudly, and Belun followed suit. More anxiety welled in his insides and he felt like he needed to pee, but he had to stay put. The brown male sat down beside Fenru and released a tiny whine without meaning to, his ears lowered down submissively and a bit fearfully and his eyes unsure. His tongue flicked out to wipe his lips for a moment and he wondered worriedly if he had rat breath from the rodent he'd eaten earlier in the day. Belun cocked his head, stared at the dark forest across the water and began to pant.

Night gathers, and now my watch begins.

Fenru Tainn

It shall not end until my death.

He could practically smell the apprehension rolling off of Belun's shoulders. It made him wrinkle his nose in worry, but upon being reminded exactly who he had summoned, his muzzle smoothed out again with renewed confidence. The dark man sat and Fenru shifted as to have his mottled shoulder brush up against his. His tail, though held solemnly low near his heels, gave a reassuring wag.

"Don't worry," he smiled, looking to his companion. "They will come." They've never failed me yet... Fenru returned his eyes to the opposite bank, letting loose one more rather stipulating bark. The sound seemed to boom from the depths of his chest but Fenru was barely fazed. Eager ears, once laid back in anticipation, perked up again, swiveling every which way in hopes of picking up his superiors' arrival.

Acknowledging the swelling of the River, the boy was suddenly struck with a more pressing thought. If he wasn't much for swimming, perhaps Belun felt the same. All along the edges of the banks he tried to find a telltale landmark, something that told him exactly where the pair had approached Swift River. He glanced to his right where the familiar sight of a fallen log was submerged underwater, its only remaining branch reaching up from its trunk as though it were asking to be pulled from the stream. That wouldn't do. The moment he would step onto it, there was a chance it would dislodge from its current setting and attempt to carry him a few meters downstream. Fenru frowned, looking to his left. If his geography was correct, somewhere along that way the riverbed was still just shallow enough to quickly wade across without having to worry about being swept away.

"Just be yourself," he reminded. "Ice and Corinna are both fair... and just." For lack of better, or clearer synonyms, the youth humbly told Belun further, "They will like you. I'm sure."

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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My apologies on the delay for this <3

Gone Tomorrow

Things had begun to fall into a rhythm, a rhythm that the wolves of the River sorely needed. With Corinna fully back into the full swing of things as a leader, and Ice now beside her, it seemed that the world was not as bleak as it used to be. Though, all of the River's problems had yet to be alleviated - the dark shadows of Rissa's killers still hung over Relic Lore. Until that particular danger was gone, the metaphorical clouds raining over Corinna's head would not disappear.

There was no point wallowing away in pain, though. Her talk with Ice at the Falls had inspired in her a new course of action, one she was determined to follow no matter what. That, for better or for worse, included fulfilling her duties as a Leader. She had risen late that day, deciding to spend her night patrolling the borders and remarking them. The distinctive scent of heat was in the air this time of year, and Corinna would not hesitate to make clear that this was still her domain, despite her widowed state. Her dominant scent had been backed up with her posture and snarls; turning aggressive towards her docile subjects to keep them in line. With Hotei gone (yet another Tainn to vanish into the night), there was little to fear from her subjects, but Corinna refused to lapse in her duties. Not now.

So as luck would have it, Corinna was not far when she heard Fenru's voice call out for both her and Ice. Tail lifting instinctively, the she-wolf set off at a steady trot in the direction of the call, a grin settled firmly upon her muzzle. Her youngest son had matured, and he was growing into adulthood with grace. His childhood might not have been easy, but he had not allowed that to hinder his growth. If only they could all do the same, then there would be no dark clouds hanging over their future.

As the distance closed between them, Corinna heard Fenru's bark, as if to check that someone was on their way. Halting midstep, she lifted her muzzle, calling back, I'm coming. It was not like Fenru to be so anxious, but the reason became apparent when the leader finally reached the snow covered bank several minutes later. Sitting beside her mottled gray son, the very image of his father, was a stranger. Fenru's proximity to the strange wolf betrayed the reason for their visit, and with a wag of her tail, Corinna descended the bank. Her creme paws touching the frigid water that had swelled as snow and ice began to melt. But the current had not become particularly wild yet, and with a few kicks of her legs, the leader had crossed. Reaching the shore, she shook herself, sending cold water droplets flying. Climbing the embankment, she approached Fenru and his companion, touching noses with her son in greeting before pulling back to survey the brown wolf who sat beside him. "Who's your friend, Fenru?" She asked, her voice straight forward, but polite.

Belun looked at Fenru when he reassured him again, at least, he thought Fenru was being reassuring. The language barrier would probably never stop being difficult for him, but maybe he would learn over time to understand basic sentences. After all, that one had only been two words long, and he still didn't grasp its full meaning. The boy issued a loud half bark, and Belun cocked his head to one side comically, his coffee-coloured ears perked to their fullest as he listened for a response. After a moment, a lovely, quick howl filled his ears and the butterflies in his stomach seemed to burst free all at once. All of the waiting was making him even more nervous than he normally might be. Belun had always been a bit of an anxious individual, but it made sense in a situation like this. Worrying seemed well-warranted, to him. He was definitely not from here and had no idea of the she-wolf who had answered Fenru's call was a nice one or not.

Of course, he had to assume that she was, because he trusted Fenru enough to believe him when he said that she would like him. "Yes, I be me," he said, more to himself than the boy. What could possibly go wrong?

He hated when he asked himself that question. A hundred things could go wrong. She might see that he was a foreigner and turn him away on that alone. She might see that his eyes were a different color than one would expect from his species, and it might set her off and think him weird. She might think his horrendous accent was too terrible to bear. She could ask a question that he couldn't understand and Fenru wouldn't be able to translate successfully. She might be bigger than him and laugh at his underweight and undermuscled self. Belun panted, and raised his leg to scratch the side of his neck.

When he had stopped, there was a she-wolf with wet fur looking at him and asking Fenru who he was. Belun flicked his tongue over his lips and assumed a very regal, straight-seated position that looked a bit unnatural for him. She was lovely, with a rather normal-looking coat and slim frame. She had eyes very similar to his own, and had a delicious scent coming from her. He tried to ignore that tidbit.

"My name is Belun," he recited. It was one of the first phrases he had learned, and as a result, he could speak it almost perfectly. "Fenru.. eh... he breeng me bee-cawse I wahnt becuhm peck wulf." Belun spoke it rather abruptly, and he looked for a moment at Fenru before looking back to the she-wolf. He had lowered his eyes and had been sitting on his tail from the beginning. It kind of hurt. "Hello," he gave an awkward grin.

Night gathers, and now my watch begins.

Fenru Tainn

It shall not end until my death.

His spirits lifted as his mother's voice filled the air, a promise of her swift arrival. Even with the coming of nightfall his eyesight was perfect. He watched as Corinna made her way across the River, confirming that there was still a good stretch of riverbed to cross without having to worry about the current. "Mother," he greeted her with a whisper as she briefly touched her nose to his. Before she pulled away he was quick to slip his tongue out and caress it to her chin.

"Who's your friend, Fenru?" He opened his mouth to speak but Belun readily answered. The Tainn smiled, glad that even in his nervousness the dark man could still hold his own. His tail wagged and after Belun had flashed a tense grin, Fenru nodded. "I was out in the Wildwood when I found him," he declared, turning to give Belun another comforting smile before looking to Corinna. "He was looking to join a pack. Said he couldn't go back to his family... and, I asked if he would like to stay with me... with us."

One of his ears came forward as the other kept laid back, and the boyish expressions from his childhood came to rest on his darkened facial features, "He sometimes doesn't understand common tongue, but he does understand. When I asked if he would be loyal and trustworthy, he told me that trust in his language was dôvera. To "trust family" is vernosť. He also comprehends that if he does not comply with our standards that I will personally see that he is no longer welcome."

The last words lifted darkly from his tongue and he hastily searched his mother's face for any sign of satisfaction or dismay. "He's nice though," he smiled. "He might not speak very well but we can work a little bit on that." He lightly nudged Belun's shoulder once more as if to invoke a more confident reaction from him. "With Spring and Summer on the way, I figured we could use another set of eyes and ears."

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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Gone Tomorrow

If her memory served her correctly, this was the first stranger that Fenru had ever brought home, and for that reason alone, Corinna was more willing to listen to the stranger's appeal. She had taken him in on her ascent of the bank, and now he sat still beside her son, though his posture had changed appropriately. They had met eyes only briefly before the younger wolf had averted his similarly colored eyes and tucked his tail beneath him. It was a simple sign of respect, but it was more than enough for Corinna to not chase him off for being mapcap. The words that came out of his mouth, though, did not duplicate the same elegance. Tilting her head in her customary posture of her confusion, she looked over at Fenru, her gaze searching for an explanation. Her grey head bobbed up in down as Fenru spoke, advocating for this "Belun".

As her young fell silent, Cori remained quiet as well, pondering over his words. Did they really need more eyes and ears? The honest answer was yes, but it was so hard to look upon this dark stranger and see trust and loyalty. Her tenure as leader of Swift River had broken her trust, and though it was hardly fair to the young man, her biases against those who remained untested would not be easily subsided. That was far more of concern than the language - after all, she had been served faithfully by the virtually mute Marsh for years, and he had never let her down with his lack of speech abilities. "You'll keep an eye on him, Fenru?" She questioned at Fenru, her eyes still surveying Belan, quietly assessing him and his potentially capabilities. "My son is an excellent judge of character, and he would not have brought you back here if he did not think you worthy of being a River wolf." The words slipped out, a strange mixture of pride and doubt held within them.

Stepping forward, she closed the distance between herself and Belan. Her ears lifted, pointing forward and erect, and her tail strained itself over her back as she lifted it in an active demonstration of dominance. Since the brown wolf was crouched, he was shorter than her, and Cori was able to reach out with relative ease to grasp his muzzle in her mouth. Biting down, perhaps a bit harder than she would have used to, her unspoken message would hopefully cross all language barriers - You are in my pack, my family now.

The she-wolf tilted her head to one side. She looked unimpressed by him, or maybe just generally confused. His ears swiveled sideways and he set there, stealing a glance at her expression every so often while trying to keep his eyes low and his posture respectful. Fenru spoke up for him, thank goodness, unleashing a slew of words that he could only barely catch. Fenru had found him, yes, but where? In the "Wildwood," which perhaps was the name of the territory where the old dead tree was where Fenru had been hiding. Among the words was the phrase "sometimes doesn't understand," which Belun could very much agree with. More often than not, he had a lot of difficult understanding what was being said. It was a problem he was only just recently discovering, with Fenru pointing out where he needed to improve again and again when he spoke.

Fenru said the words "dôvera" and "vernost," to which the brown male began nodding affirmatively. He wanted to make a good impression, and so far Fenru was doing most of that work for him. The next sentence had too many words in it for him to grasp it properly, but he had an idea of what Fenru was saying. After all, the conversation from earlier was still quite fresh in his mind. "Yes, I not a.. eh.. tray-tor, and not a rehn-eh-gade," he said, interjecting between the boy's sentences. Belun knew that "traitor" and "renegade" were both bad things that lacked trust and loyalty, although he didn't fully comprehend the meaning of the words.

"He might not speak very well but we can work a little bit on that." That was also something he understood. Belun wanted to learn more English, he'd figured that out the moment he'd discovered this new territory and nobody else spoke his language. He also knew that English was difficult to learn, and that it would take time, and a lot of patience for him and everybody else. Still, Fenru's nudge gave him confidence, and he looked at the boy with a friendly face in hope.

Corinna spoke then, after looking at him and twisting her eyes so she could try to see through whatever lies he was telling, which were none. "He would not have brought you back here if he did not think you worthy of being a River wolf," she said, and he caught the gist of it. The pack's name, he didn't know, so he assumed it to be simply "River," which seemed like a silly name if they meant the word for a stream or moving ribbon of water. Still, the implication of her sentence made him wonder if she meant what he thought she meant: that he had a new home.

She moved closer to him, and her scent, new and lovely, made his insides quiver. He pulled back a bit physically, his ears spinning further backward and his body leaning back a bit and curling over more than before. She abruptly took his muzzle in her jaws and applied pressure; it hurt. Belun's eyes were squinting and he didn't move for the moment that she held him there, utter submission melting him down. When she let go, his tail escaped from under him and it thumped lightly on the ground. Her gesture was a symbol that any wolf would have known. "Thank you, bee-you-tihful eh.. lee-der," he said. She was lovely, but he'd said beautiful because it was the only feminine word for "nice" that he could think of.

He turned his head around and beamed at Fenru, his ears perking from their flattened posture.

Night gathers, and now my watch begins.

Fenru Tainn

It shall not end until my death.

"You'll keep an eye on him, Fenru?" The River boy nodded solemnly, his own gaze averted before it flickered to hers. He answered her promptly before she addressed Belun, "Yes, mother." With his eyes kept down, he listened attentively as the Leader bestowed upon his friend that she trusted Fenru was exceptional in assessing others and he inwardly, appreciatively drank up the sentiment. Corinna edged forward and Fenru drew back to allow her room, his head craned downward courteously as his tail took up a more submissive position at his heels. He could feel the anticipation run up and down his spine with shivers as he waited patiently for the deed that would bind Belun to their pack.

He tilted his head slightly sideways as the dark male accepted Corinna's gesture, the forceful sting and pressure of her teeth against his muzzle. His tail lifted once in half a wag but immediately fell limp. Belun, though he seemingly winced, took it in stride, and Fenru's pride ballooned further as his companion thanked Corinna - he even called her beautiful. A grin appeared on his face as Belun turned to face him. He gave another nod, to approve of the youth's manners and congratulate him on his initiation into Swift River. He was one of the family now...

Fenru looked back into his mother's face, his own facial expression absolutely beaming from what had just taken place. In comparison to what had happened last time something like this occurred - that fateful Spring day, about a year and a half ago, when a wayward cub of about Fenru's age happened to stumble into Swift River territory - it was definitely apparent that the young Tainn had matured. This was no instance of "claiming a wolf as his friend and his friend only" or "declaring that another age-mate was his possession;" rather, this was one of the first steps that proved Fenru was ready to shoulder his adult responsibilities and act like he should. Belun was not "his," but instead "his responsibility" and now... his pack mate, a peer, a teacher, a friend, as well as someone to hopefully ease him into the last parts of his transition to adulthood and a sworn ally.

He took a step towards where Corinna had approached them after climbing out of the River, looking eagery from one green-eyed face to the other, "Shall we go home?"

you cannot break me, i thrive regardless

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Gone Tomorrow

Corinna could feel him wince beneath her teeth, but the pain would subside soon enough. In the days of old, she would not have bit so hard, but now the leader felt the need to emphasize her point. Perhaps more so than other packs that these lone wolves might have come across, Swift River was completely intolerant of betrayal. Their past and experiences had made them so, but it was hardly an unreasonable expectation. Surely they, these strangers that came looking for a place to call home, could understand that? It seemed so, for Belun's tail wagged anyway, and his stuttered compliment brought a coy smile to Corinna's face and she wagged her own tail in response.

Turning to look at Fenru, the mother's grin grew to match his own beaming face. Leaning forward to offer him an affectionate nudge to the cheek, she took a step forward to match his own. "Yes, I think we should. Belun here will need the tour," she agreed, tilting her head in the direction of the latest addition to the pack. There was no better way to instill loyalty in the newest wolves - they needed to be shown the places that mattered, the ones that had made an impact. There was so much more than just the pack den to be seen, and under Fenru's guidance, no doubt Belun would come to know them all. With a low yip, the oldest of the trio took several more steps, her fluffy tail disappearing down the embankment as she once again reentered the water and crossed back into her domain.